Mike Thompson

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Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:For Template:Infobox officeholder Charles Michael Thompson (born January 24, 1951)<ref name=votesmart>Template:Cite web</ref> is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Template:Ushr (known as the 1st congressional district until 2013, and the Template:Ushr until 2023) since 1999. The district, in the outer northern portion of the San Francisco Bay Area, includes all of Lake and Napa counties and parts of Contra Costa, Solano, Yolo and Sonoma counties. Thompson chairs the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Early life, education and career

Thompson was born in St. Helena, California, the son of Beverly Ann (née Forni) and Charles Edward Thompson. His father was of English ancestry and his mother was of Italian and Swiss descent.<ref>http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/%7Ebattle/reps/thompsonm.htm Template:User-generated source</ref> He was educated at California State University, Chico, served in Vietnam with the United States Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> was a vineyard owner and maintenance supervisor, taught Public Administration and State Government at San Francisco State University and California State University, Chico, and was a member of the California State Senate before entering the House.<ref name=votesmart/>

Early political career

Thompson as a member of the California State Senate in 1997.

Thompson served as an aide to Jackie Speier (then a state assemblywoman) before winning election to the California State Senate in 1990. He unseated 4th District incumbent Jim Nielsen after a controversy over Nielsen's primary residence;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Thompson's margin of victory was less than 1%.<ref>Template:Cite web Under "Fourth Senatorial District" on 40th page of this PDF file.</ref>

After the 1992 general election, State Senator Barry Keene of the neighboring 2nd District resigned. Thompson, whose hometown of St. Helena had shifted from the 4th District into the 2nd after reapportionment, ran in the 1993 special election for Keene's seat. He narrowly beat Republican businesswoman Margie Handley and was elected to a full term in 1994.<ref>Template:Cite web Under "2nd State Senate District" on 69th page of this PDF file.</ref>

National Democrats approached Thompson about running for Congress in 1996 against freshman Republican Frank Riggs.Template:Citation needed Thompson's state Senate district was virtually coextensive with the congressional district. Thompson declined, believing his Senate seniority would be more beneficial to his district than would his being a freshman U.S. congressman.Template:Citation needed But in 1998, Thompson was due to be termed out of the state Senate, and opted to run for Congress. Riggs did not seek reelection to his House seat and made an unsuccessful bid for the United States Senate.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Thompson was elected by almost a 30% margin<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> and has been reelected ever since without substantive opposition,<ref name=":0" /> turning what was a swing district for most of the 1980s and '90s into a fairly safe Democratic seat.Template:Citation needed

For his first seven terms, Thompson represented a district stretching from the far northern part of the San Francisco Bay Area all the way to the North Coast. But after the 2010 census, his district was renumbered as the 5th and made somewhat more compact, losing most of its northern part to the 2nd District.Template:Citation needed

U.S. House of Representatives

Tenure

Thompson is a member of the conservative Blue Dog Coalition.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Nonetheless, as of October 2021 he had voted in line with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Thompson voted with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time in the 117th Congress, according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Political positions

Abortion

Thompson is a Roman Catholic,<ref name=votesmart /> but is pro-choice. In May 2004, he and 47 other Catholic Democratic members of Congress sent a letter to Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, D.C., to dissuade him from refusing to administer Holy Communion to Catholic members who voted in favor of pro-choice legislation.<ref name=CNN-2004-05-21>Template:Cite news</ref> In February 2006, Thompson was one of 55 Democratic U.S. representatives identifying as Catholic who signed a "Statement of Principles" that affirmed a commitment to their faith but acknowledged opposition to Catholic doctrine on some issues. They wrote that on those issues, such as abortion rights, they would follow their conscience instead of the church's teachings.<ref> Template:Cite web</ref> In response, the U.S. Catholic Bishops issued a "Statement on Responsibilities of Catholics in Public Life" that said, in part, "Catholic teaching calls all Catholics to work actively to restrain, restrict and bring to an end the destruction of unborn human life."<ref> Template:Cite web</ref>

Thompson opposed the overturning of Roe v. Wade, calling it "an assault on women."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Cannabis

In 2015, Thompson proposed tougher penalties for marijuana growers who operate on trespassed land.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The U.S. Sentencing Commission adopted the tougher sentencing guidelines, which went into effect in November 2015, after a six-month congressional review. The guidelines were intended to increase public safety.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Environmental issues

Thompson voted for President George W. Bush's Healthy Forests Initiative,<ref>Template:Cite web The vote on H.R. 1904.</ref> which some environmentalists saw as a favor to the timber industry.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He has disappointed some environmentalists with votes against limits to new commercial logging roads in Alaska's Tongass National Forest<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and against limits to hunting bears over bait.<ref>Template:Cite web The vote (Roll Call 382) was on an amendment to a Department of the Interior funding bill (H.AMDT.263 to H.R.2691) to prohibit any funding to administer any action related to the baiting of bears except to prevent or prohibit such activity. To display the THOMAS (Library of Congress) links, go to http://thomas.loc.gov/bss/108search.html Template:Webarchive and search for the word "baiting". In the next screen, search for "2691". (2003-07-17). Retrieved on 2008-12-22. Template:Cite web</ref><ref> Template:Cite web</ref> He was also one of only 30 Democrats to vote against an amendment to maintain roadless areas protected under the Roadless Rule.<ref>Template:Cite web The vote on H.R. 4200.</ref> Thompson received a B rating from the American Wilderness Coalition in 2003 and an A+ in 2004.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The Sierra Club endorsed Thompson for reelection in 2010.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Thompson has voted several times to weaken the Clean Water Act.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In March 2012, Thompson and state Assemblyman Jared Huffman voiced their opposition to a piece of water legislation that the House would be voting on, which Thompson argued would "kill local jobs, ignore 20 years of established science and overturn a century of California water law."<ref name="20 years">Template:Cite news</ref>

Foreign policy

In late 2002, Thompson joined Representatives Jim McDermott and David Bonior on a fact-finding trip to Iraq. During the trip, they spoke to officials in Baghdad and residents of Basra. They expressed skepticism about the George W. Bush administration's claims that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction.<ref> Template:Cite web</ref>

On March 26, 2008, Muthanna Al-Hanooti, an official of a Michigan charity, was accused of underwriting three members of Congress to travel to Iraq on behalf of Iraqi intelligence officials. McDermott's office was already organizing the trip when the charity offered to pay the trip expenses. McDermott's spokesman claimed the charity was fully vetted by the U.S. government. He also stated that the representatives obtained a license from the State Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control for the group to travel to Iraq.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Thompson has supported military intervention in certain foreign countries.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Health care

Thompson has supported a public option for health insurance. In 2009, he wrote, "[b]y streamlining health care, reducing fraud and abuse, ending unnecessary testing, discouraging over-utilization, investing in smart reforms, and emphasizing preventive health care, we can significantly bring down the cost of health care."<ref name="Can't Wait">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2010, Thompson voted for the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Committee assignments

photo of Congressman Mike Thompson in 2010
Mike Thompson in 2010

For the 118th Congress:<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Caucus memberships

Electoral history

Template:Sronly
Year Office Party Primary General Result Swing Template:Abbr.
Total % Template:Abbr. Total % Template:Abbr.
1990 State Senate 4th style="background-color:Template:Party color;" rowspan=17 | Democratic 52,161 56.16% 1st 125,573 47.67% 1st Template:Yes2 style="background-color:Template:Party color;" | Gain <ref>Primary election:

General election:

1993 2nd 42,385 47.16% 1st 48,098 47.57% 1st Template:Yes2 style="background-color:Template:Party color;" | Hold <ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
1994 80,070 100.0% 1st 162,610 60.41% 1st Template:Yes2 style="background-color:Template:Party color;" | Hold <ref>Primary election:

General election:

1998 U.S. House 1st 77,544 78.02% 1st 121,710 61.85% 1st Template:Yes2 style="background-color:Template:Party color;" | Gain <ref>Primary election:

General election:

2000 112,185 100.0% 1st 155,638 65.03% 1st Template:Yes2 style="background-color:Template:Party color;" | Hold <ref>Primary election:

General election:

2002 64,401 100.0% 1st 118,669 64.07% 1st Template:Yes2 style="background-color:Template:Party color;" | Hold <ref>Primary election:

General election:

2004 92,371 100.0% 1st 189,366 66.92% 1st Template:Yes2 style="background-color:Template:Party color;" | Hold <ref>Primary election:

General election:

2006 79,138 100.0% 1st 144,409 66.23% 1st Template:Yes2 style="background-color:Template:Party color;" | Hold <ref>Primary election:

General election:

2008 69,622 87.71% 1st 197,812 68.10% 1st Template:Yes2 style="background-color:Template:Party color;" | Hold <ref>Primary election:

General election:

2010 74,695 100.0% 1st 147,307 62.79% 1st Template:Yes2 style="background-color:Template:Party color;" | Hold <ref>Primary election:

General election:

2012 5th 95,748 72.20% 1st 202,872 74.47% 1st Template:Yes2 style="background-color:Template:Party color;" | Hold <ref>Primary election:

General election:

2014 88,709 80.44% 1st 129,613 75.73% 1st Template:Yes2 style="background-color:Template:Party color;" | Hold <ref>Primary election:

General election:

2016 124,634 65.70% 1st 224,526 76.87% 1st Template:Yes2 style="background-color:Template:Party color;" | Hold <ref>Primary election:

General election:

2018 121,428 79.33% 1st 205,860 78.87% 1st Template:Yes2 style="background-color:Template:Party color;" | Hold <ref>Primary election:

General election:

2020 146,980 67.54% 1st 271,233 76.09% 1st Template:Yes2 style="background-color:Template:Party color;" | Hold <ref>Primary election:

General election:

2022 4th 115,041 66.23% 1st 176,900 67.80% 1st Template:Yes2 style="background-color:Template:Party color;" | Hold <ref>Primary election:

General election:

2024 120,736 62.52% 1st 227,730 66.46% 1st Template:Yes2 style="background-color:Template:Party color;" | Hold <ref>Primary election:

General election:

Source: Secretary of State of California | Statewide Election Results

Personal life

Thompson is married to Janet Thompson. They met at a party in Yountville, California. They reside in St. Helena and also maintain a home in Washington, D.C.<ref name="Carson">Template:Cite news</ref>

The Thompsons are avid home cooks and cook for fundraisers to benefit local nonprofits, such as for renovations to the Point Reyes Lighthouse, and Thompson's campaigns. Local Napa Valley wineries often sponsor Thompson's campaigns with lunches, dinners, wine tastings and tours. Thompson is also a longtime volunteer for the Napa Valley wine auction fundraiser.<ref name="Carson"/>

References

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